In the News
Is Massachusetts Leading the Country in Corporate Diversity?
The latest report from ION, the professional women network, singled out Massachusetts for having “the highest percentage of women directors.” ION’s report found that 20.6% of the directors of the Fortune 500 companies based in that state are women. By contrast, according to ION’s report, only 10% of the directors at Fortune 500 companies in Texas are women. Forbes, December 21, 2011
Women Slow to Make Gains in Top Ranks
“We are hoping that’s a sign that women here are learning to advocate for themselves,” said Laura Marks, executive director of Women Executive Leadership, which reported the findings of its statewide census as part of an InterOrganization Network (ION) report also issued on Wednesday. ION tracks and advocates women’s progress on a regional level. “We are also hoping that more women in the executive offices will mean their next move is to ascend to the boardroom,” Marks said. Miami Herald, Dec. 14, 2011
This Week in the Boardroom: Building an Effective Board
ION Advisory Council Member and Corporate Board Member President TK Kerstetter interviews Linda Rebrovick, Director & Nom/Gov Chair, HealthStream about how to build an effective board. Corporate Board Member, Nov. 10, 2011
Power 50: Most Influential Bostonians
ION Co-founder and Board Member Toni G. Wolfman was recognized by the Boston Business Journal‘s Power 50 List of influential Bostonians for playing a key role in developing the mission and strategic plan for Bentley University’s newly established Center for Women and Business. Ms. Wolfman also leads the corporate board search effort for ION Member Organization The Boston Club. Boston Business Journal, October 28, 2011
Women in Top Jobs Still Scarce: Inforum Sees Progress Behind the Numbers
Michigan’s top 100 public companies aren’t naming women as directors on their boards and as top executives much more than they did eight years ago, but even that incremental growth is a trend in the right direction. The 2011 Michigan Women’s Leadership Index, released by ION Member Organization Inforum Center for Leadership, reports that women represent just 10.4 percent of 849 board seats at the 100 largest publicly traded companies in Michigan. Crain’s Detroit Business, October 16, 2011
Move up the Corporate Ladder Stalls for Women
Women may be happy about the strides they’ve made in corporate America, but they’re hardly satisfied. “Women bring different perspective to the playing field, which often helps bottom line,” says ION President Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane. “They bring different problem solving strategies, different networks offer different opportunities to companies.” CNBC, October 10, 2011
Women at the Top Improve the Bottom Line
The best-known diversity initiative is the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission established by the Civil Rights Act of 1991. When reviewed today, the document is thorough, relevant, and current. Its recommendations became the core of diversity best practices for the next two decades. Unfortunately, it failed in its mission. The progress of women has been minimal. Women, and minorities, rarely reach the senior levels of corporate ranks. Womenetics, August 30, 2011
ION Issues Board Diversity Policy Urging U.S. Public Companies to Take Action
ION released its official statement on corporate board diversity in conjunction with the launch of “Gender Equality as an Investment Concept” seminars. With academia, corporations and researchers reporting that a critical mass of women in the boardroom has a positive economic impact, ION urges public companies to take action. News release featured on several sites, including CBS MoneyWatch, Newsday and SF Gate (San Francisco Chronicle), July 1, 2011
The Terrible Truth About Women on Boards
It’s no secret that the number of women on corporate boards in the U.S. has not increased greatly over the last decade—especially in large organizations. In the Fortune 500, women hold only 15.7% of board seats. It’s no secret that in the U.S., more women than men now graduate from college. It’s no secret that women constitute the largest consumer base in many organizations. Forbes, June 7, 2011
Movers and Shakers: Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane, President, ION
“It’s been the driving mission of ION since our founding in 2006 to increase the number of women on public company boards and in the executive suite. One of the criteria for member organizations to join is that this must be part of their mission,” said Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane, President of ION. The Glass Hammer, May 31, 2011
Women’s Presence Still Lacking on Boards
ION President Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane was featured in a exclusive, print-only article by Karen Nitkin. If interested, please request article text from webmaster@ionwomen.org. Maryland Daily Record, May 13, 2011
‘Win/Win’ Campaign Calls for More Women in Top Corporate Posts
The Central Exchange’s “Win/Win” campaign strives for the goal that by 2015, women will hold 20 percent of the top executive and board positions in the area’s public companies. Currently, women hold about 7 percent. The campaign will be addressed at an event sponsored by Stinson Morrison Hecker, US Bank, KPMG and the Central Exchange. The Kansas City Star, April 12, 2011
Gender Equality as an Investment Concept
Pax World President/CEO and ION Advisory Council Member Joe Keefe published a white paper to argue that investors can promote gender equality and women’s empowerment while potentially reaping financial returns. Keefe cites evidence which supports the idea the businesses embracing gender diversity may be better positioned for long-term financial success. Pax World, March 22, 2011
ION Report Makes Case for Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards
The report highlights institutional investors supporting gender diversity at the top, including Calvert Investments, Pax World Management, Walden Asset Management, Trillium Asset Management, Connecticut State Treasurer Denise Nappier, CalPERS and CalSTRS, and provides an action plan for investors who wish to benefit from improved governance. CNBC, March 7, 2011
Gender Gap Remains on Alabama State Public Company Boards
ION was featured in a March 2011 Birmingham Business Journal article, which examined the gender gap on Alabama’s public company boards. ION President Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane said among the 14 states reporting statistics in 2010, Alabama falls just shy of statistics for other states. ION reported that women hold between 8.3 to 18.4 percent of board seats in public companies in the 14 reporting states, including Georgia and Florida.
Gender Diversity on U.S. Boards Coming Anytime Soon?
ION was featured in a January 2011 Fortune article which examined the low number of women directors across the U.S. Quoted in the article were ION Board Member Toni Wolfman and ION Advisory Council Member Joe Keefe, who noted that a 50/50 gender divide of board members is possible by the year 2020 if investment advisors work together to scale proxy voting initiatives.
Networking Groups Help Place Women on Company Boards
Earlier this year, Nashville’s CABLE — a leading networking organization for female executives — joined a coalition aimed at helping corporations find qualified female candidates for their boards. Today, the coalition already has its first success story: HealthStream Inc., the Nashville-based health care learning and research company, recently named former Federal Communications Commission board member Deborah Taylor Tate to its board of directors. Nashville Business Journal, Nov. 24, 2010
Women Make Small Gains on Area Boards, Exec Ranks
Over the last year, women have made slight gains in the boardrooms and executive suites of the state’s 50 largest publicly traded companies, according to the latest research by Milwaukee Women inc. Women now comprise 12.8 percent of directors, compared to 12.1 percent in 2009 — a net gain of three board seats. Female executives comprise 12.9 percent compared to 12.8 percent in 2009 — a net gain of one position. Milwaukee Business Journal, November 18, 2010
Using a Board Seat as a Stepping Stone
For many executives, a corporate directorship offers a route to move ahead at their current company or elsewhere because the stint enhances their leadership skills and visibility. But landing and leveraging a board seat demand a different and longer campaign than a conventional job search. More boards now seek active executives below the CEO level, especially those savvy about hot areas such as compensation, global marketing, risk management and digital media. Wall Street Journal, November 4, 2010
Group Partners with College to Increase Female Board Members
For the past eight years, Milwaukee Women inc has been instrumental in moving the needle to get more women on corporate boards. The group is partnering with the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University to have Milwaukee-area women added to a database that the Kellogg Center for Executive Women maintains to assist corporate boards in their recruiting practices. Milwaukee Business Journal, October 18, 2010
Glass Ceiling Persists in US Boardrooms
Women have failed to make significant inroads in US boardrooms over the past five years, according to fresh research that underlines how corporate America is yet to break the “glass ceiling” that prevents female executives rising to the top. Julie Daum, the head of Spencer Stuart’s board and chief executive practice in North America, said the criteria set by boards when hiring new members often made it difficult for women to be picked. Financial Times, October 17, 2010
Women Making Progress on Georgia Boards
After years of marginal progress, the 2010 Board of Directors Network study reveals that women finally are gaining more of a presence on the boards of Georgia’s public companies. For the first time ever, women hold more than eight percent of all the board seats on Georgia’s 150 public companies. Atlanta Business Chronicle, October 18, 2010
Investors Put Gender on the Agenda
A coalition of global investors, managing over US $73 billion in assets, called on companies across the world today to increase representation of qualified women on boards of directors and in senior management. The call from Pax World, Calvert and Walden Asset Management, comes in response to a survey of 4,200 global companies that found only 9.4 percent of directors on corporate boards were women. CSRwire, October 13, 2010
In the Wake of Proxy Access and Dodd-Frank: Why Your Proxy Vote Matters Now
- by Jilaine Humme
